 |
| Rhino |
Rhino Interesting Facts And Information With Picture
If I ask you which is the biggest animal in the world, then elephant must come to your mind, right? But let us tell you that the second largest animal after the elephant is considered to be the rhinoceros. A rhinoceros is classified as a megafauna and which means that it can weigh more than 1000 kg.
The interesting fact is that in Greek, rhino means nose and ceros means horn. All the five rhinoceros species found in the world have at least one or two horns for which they are known. Apart from this, it is considered to be a strange clawed animal of the Rhinocerotidae family.
In the olden times, about 100 species of rhinoceros were found in the wildlife which has now reduced to only five due to poaching etc. But the good thing is that rhino conservation and wildlife conservation efforts have saved at least five species and out of these, three species can be seen in Asia and two species in Africa.
The five species of rhinoceros are the black and white rhinoceros from Africa and Sumatra, Javan and the great one-horned rhinoceros from Asia. Fun fact is that rhinoceros horns are made of keratin and it is the same substance from which human hair and nails are made. Let's know more about the life and behavior of rhinoceros,
Where Are Rhino Found
Rhinos are mostly found in Africa and Asia but their numbers have declined drastically over time. The habitat of rhinos also depends on their species. Black and white rhinos live in Namibia and coastal East Africa. Apart from this, the remaining rhinos live in the Indonesian islands of Borneo, Sumatra and the Eastern Himalayas.
Today, only five species of rhinoceros are alive, out of which two species are found in Africa and three in Asia. White and black rhinoceros are found in Africa while Indian, Javan and Sumatran rhinoceros can be seen living in Asia. White rhinoceros are identified by two horns on the end of their nose, a large front horn and a smaller horn at the back.
Rhinoceros horns do not have a bony core like other horns. The outer part of the rhino horn is quite soft and can be worn or sharpened after years of use. If a rhino's horn breaks, it can slowly grow back because it is made of keratin, the same material that makes up our nails and hair.
Scientific Name Of Rhino
The scientific name of rhinoceros is Rhinocerotidae and apart from this, rhinoceros is considered to be a strange clawed hoofed animal of the Rhinocerotidae family which is the second largest animal after the elephant. Its weight can be more than one ton and the length of the rhinoceros can be up to about 13 feet.
Rhinoceros is considered to belong to the mammal class and the rhinoceros gives birth to a single calf. Currently, only five species of rhinoceros exist in the whole of Africa and Asia, which include black rhinoceros, white rhinoceros and which have two subspecies, southern and northern white rhinoceros, Sumatra rhino, great rhinoceros, one-horned rhinoceros and Javan rhinoceros.
Habitat Of Rhino
Being a herbivorous animal, it prefers green habitats like tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, moist tropical forests, shrubs. The habitat of rhinoceros also varies according to the species. For example, the white rhino prefers to live in grasslands in Africa while the Sumatran rhino prefers to live in dense highlands and lowlands of tropical and subtropical forests.
Once found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, white rhinos can now be seen living in small parts of southern Africa in tall and short grass savannah and shrub habitats. Only five countries in the world are home to 99 percent of white rhinos. These include South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Moreover, most of them are found in South Africa. Black rhinos mostly prefer to live alone while the female stays with the calf for about three years. White rhinos are more social animals and can be seen living in groups of up to 14 which include female rhinos with their calves. Read- Indri Lemur Interesting Facts And Information With Picture
%20(1)%20(1).jpg "Rhino Interesting Facts And Information With Picture") |
| Rhino |
How Do Rhino Look Like
The rhinoceros is named after its horns for which it is known and the two African species and Sumatra rhinoceros have two horns while the Javan and Indian rhinoceros have only one horn. Apart from this, white and black rhinoceros are brown in colour.
The white rhinoceros is large in size and has a large head but short neck. Its chest is broad and there are two horns on its snout, the front horn is larger than the rear horn. Apart from this, it has a fleshy hump to support the large head.
The black rhinoceros is much smaller in size than the white rhinoceros and its mouth is pointed to catch leaves and twigs while eating. The Indian rhinoceros is as big as the white rhinoceros and has thick silver-brown skin. It has wart-like protrusions on its shoulders and upper legs and very little hair is found on the body.
Javan Rhinoceros has a single horn which looks quite similar to Indian Rhinoceros apart from this it is hairless and its skin is dusky brown in colour. Sumatran Rhinoceros is the smallest of them all with a short body and thick legs.
What Is The Weight Of Rhino
Rhinoceros size and weight vary depending on the species. Rhinoceros can be between 4 to 10 feet in height. Sumatran Rhinoceros are the smallest with their height ranging between about 3.3 to 5 feet. Apart from this their length ranges between about 6.5 to 13 feet. Rhinoceros are second in size to elephants but they are twice as big as buffalos. Rhinoceros have thick skin about 0.6 inches deep and their blood vessels are present close to the skin surface.
The heaviest are white Rhinoceros which can weigh up to about 3600 kg. Javan rhinoceros can weigh up to about 2300 kg and Indian rhinoceros is second with about 2200 kg. Black rhinoceros can weigh up to about 1400 kg. Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest and weighs about 948 kg.
What Do Rhino Eat
Rhinos eat leaves, fruits, shrubs and grasses in their diet.
How Do Rhino Reproduce
Among these large animals, dominant males occupy small territories and allow only one or two males to occupy the territory. Neighbouring dominant males also respect each other's space and are rarely seen invading except to reach water during the dry season.
White rhino females are more sociable and mostly prefer to live in groups of up to a dozen which include calves and adults. A group of rhinos is identified as a crash. Females enter the territory of the dominant male when they are ready to mate.
White rhino males chase females for 5 to 20 days continuously for courtship. The male approaches the female with breathy calls to know if she is ready to mate. During their courtship, most of the male and female rhinos fight with each other which causes injuries to them.
After a gestation period of 14-18 months, the female rhino gives birth to a calf and the calf can weigh up to 45.35 kg. The calf can drink mother's milk for a year and can stay with the mother for about 4 years until the next newborn arrives.
But Sumatran rhinos are an exception to this and their calf becomes independent after two or three years. Apart from this, the population of Sumatra and Javan rhinos is decreasing because very few of their females are breeding. Read- Gouldian Finch - Interesting Facts About Colorful Bird
%20(1).jpg "Rhino Interesting Facts And Information With Picture") |
| Rhino |
How Long Do Rhino Live
The lifespan of a rhinoceros is believed to be around 40-45 years but the lifespan varies depending on the species of rhinoceros.
How Fast Can Rhino Run
Rhinoceroses are believed to be the fastest land animals and their running speed is around 55 kilometers per hour. Apart from this, rhinos can accelerate from zero to a high speed in a very few seconds without any warning.
How Do Rhino Communicate
These animals are extremely fast at recognizing smells and the feces of a rhinoceros can be up to 22.7 kg in a day. Spraying dung and urine is a typical way of rhinoceros to establish their territory. Rhinos make a variety of sounds such as screaming, bleating, growling, snoring and even trumpeting sounds to indicate a fight or even a mother calling a calf.
Among their species, Sumatran rhinoceros are experts in making sounds that can travel a distance of up to 20 km. Additionally, rhinos use extensive body language such as rubbing arms to show affection, head-butting for aggression, erecting ears and tails for curiosity, and calves can be seen bobbing their heads to play with each other.
How Many Rhino Are There In The World
The total number of rhinoceros in the world is about 30,000 rhinoceros and due to rhino conservation white rhinoceros is the most prevalent with about 20,000 and black rhinoceros is about 5000. Of the remaining 5,000, 3,600 are Indian rhinoceros and less than 200 Sumatran rhinoceros are present.
The good thing is that a massive wildlife conservation effort has helped protect the white rhinoceros population in the world from poaching. Black, Javan and Sumatran rhinoceros are critically endangered species and Indian rhinoceros is placed in the vulnerable category. Poaching, habitat loss, natural disasters and diseases are the main reasons for the threat to Javan rhinoceros.
Sumatran rhinoceros is also behind them, loss of habitat and fragmentation is the reason for the decline in their population. Poaching is considered to be the biggest threat along with habitat loss for one-horned rhinoceros. Because their horns are used in Asian medicine for which they are poached.
The good news is that wildlife conservation efforts by African countries, Indonesia to protect rhinos have now helped to almost completely stop poaching. The number of one-horned rhinoceros has increased from 200 in the early twentieth century to 3700. Thanks to the Indian and Nepalese authorities, it is considered one of the most successful stories of rhino conservation.
Behavior Of Rhino
Rhinos are very dangerous animals but they mostly keep to themselves, yet in case of danger, rhinos can control their large body and fight in a few seconds.
Rhino Facts For Kids
1. What do rhinos eat?
The habitat of these animals affects which plants they eat. Among their species, white rhinos graze on grass while black rhinos prefer to eat succulent plants and leaves. Apart from this, Sumatran rhinos eat a wide variety of available plants and Javan rhinos prefer to eat moist plants found in low-lying areas with plenty of water.
2. How many rhinos are left?
The total number of rhinos around the world is about 30,000 rhinos and due to rhino conservation, white rhinos are the most prevalent with about 20,000 and black rhinos are about 5000. Of the remaining 5,000, 3,600 are Indian rhinos and less than 200 Sumatran rhinos are present.
3. Do rhinos give milk?
The milk of a female rhino is watery and contains only 0.2 percent fat. This thin milk may have something to do with the rhino's slow reproductive cycle. Also, black rhinos are only able to reproduce at four to five years of age.
4. Do rhinos eat carnivorous food?
There are five species of rhinos found in Africa and Asia and all of these species are huge, tough, angry and potentially deadly but they are herbivores.
5. What is the natural enemy of rhinos?
The two species that prey on rhinos are lions in Africa and tigers in Asia. But leopards, hyenas, wild dogs and Nile crocodiles also sometimes kill baby African rhinos.
6. Do rhinos drink water?
The white rhino drinks water twice a day if water is available but can go up to four or five days without water if conditions are dry. In addition, dominant rhinos mark their territory with urine and feces.
7. Are rhinos human friendly?
Black rhinos are very nervous by nature and can be quite aggressive. They react to threats by attacking, even predators. White rhinos are more sociable and calm and respond to threats by simply fleeing.
8. What is a female rhino called?
A male rhino is called a bull, a female a cow and a baby a calf, and a group of rhinos is called a "crash."
9. Do rhinos sleep a lot?
These large animals are more similar to us than we are to humans. According to South Africa's Kruger National Park, rhinos sleep about eight hours a day.
10. Can rhinos have twins?
Female rhinos breed every two to five years and give birth to only one baby per pregnancy but on rare occasions twins have been seen. A female rhino carries her baby for 15-18 months before giving birth and nurses it for up to 3 years, after which it goes off on its own.